Well happy day! We are finally taking a much-needed vacation and with that prompted our many trips of the past that we have prepared for. So whether you are traveling as newlyweds, traveling as a tiny family, traveling with a big family or just a couple’s retreat … these tips are here to help anyone! We sure you love them as much as we do!
Navigating Schedules
If you are traveling just as the two of you or immediate family then this step will go pretty quickly. However, we find on the bigger trips or trips we plan with friends that usually there is some much-needed give and take that goes into picking a time to go. So if you are someone that is a bit more difficult to schedule around we always feel you should get top priority when looking at time of year to go. Versus someone else who maybe runs their own business or has a lot more flexibility on when they can get out of town. Even for us – we own our own business and write our own schedules yet still once a wedding is on the books we can’t cancel it. So in a way, we can be difficult to plan around because we need a lot of notice. Those who are teachers would also fall into a “difficult” schedule category because they are working most of the year and usually can’t take off a ton of time. So, give those around you grace and find a time that works for everyone.
Choosing Where to Go
We love this one! Decide if you are having a “relaxation” vacation or a “adventure” vacation. For us, we like to bounce back and forth. We consider an adventure vacation one where you basically need a relaxation vacation once you get home. They are usually packed full with moving and doing and less about sitting on a beach somewhere. Considering everyone has different preferences always be sure you are being thoughtful and kind to give everyone the grace they deserve when picking a new travel spot. You can also find a mixture of both – we consider Hawaii to be one of those options. Whereas our once was trip to Italy would have been a full-on adventure vacation with very little downtime to sit and relax.
Travel Planners
We adore them! Sometimes they truly are just better at doing it then we are and we are happy to let them. For us, they have never been an additional cost. Seems crazy right? Well, utilize them and feel a little bit of peace when you do so because chances are they have had the opportunity to travel a lot and can be a great resource for information. Our favorite time to use them is when we are taking a Sandals trip. We just feel we deserve a little extra TLC and not planning every detail is so relaxing.
Deciding What to Do
Please, just don’t do too much. It’s never fun to overdo it and not have a moment to just sit and do nothing. Which yes, can be very enjoyable. We have made this mistake a couple of times on a few trips and we always regret overbooking our excursions and not savoring the place we are staying a little more. Even on our trip to Italy which was going and doing quite a lot we made sure to plan out some days to just sit around the house and essentially do nothing except eat pizza and drink wine. This is totally okay and you will be so thankful for a few off days!
Price Hacks
Hopper: Our favorite app for tracking flight prices. We have it downloaded on our phones and it really is essential when trying to find the best time to book at a great deal!
Expedia: The quick and easy service to connect us with hotels and rental cars and complete the airline purchase! Their customer service has always been excellent and just personally is one of our faves!
AirBNB: If you are a family then an AirBNB is a true MUST. Not only have they just been a joy to work within a season of many canceled trips but they have never let us down before. A lot of times you can get a great deal that is cheaper or the same cost as a hotel but the amenities you receive in return is by far worth it. Especially for families traveling together or with littles.
Credit Cards: We love the Chase Ink card and our favorite airline card. We don’t really use the airline card for miles but usually most of the airlines will give you “cardholder” perks for just being with them. These perks are usually free 1st boarding & 1 free checked bag per person traveling with you. We love our Chase Ink card for the cashback options though! You can never go wrong there. Just be sure to not put more on it then what you are able to pay off that month. Those interest rates can really hurt!
Thank you so much for reading through another episode of The Married Podcast. Head on over to listen through the entire episode or if you are more of a watching person check out our YouTube channel for the entire real episode live in our very own home with a super cool neon sign. Don’t forget to leave any questions or comments in the section below and as always share away! If you loved this episode we would love to see you leave us a review <3
